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About the Study Guide

You are looking at a preview of what’s in the Hunter Ed Arizona Course.
Feel free to look around, but you’ll need to register to begin progress toward getting your Arizona Hunter Education Certificate.

Handgun Sight Alignment and Aiming

Sight Alignment

Sight alignment, which is important in rifle firing, is even more important in pistol shooting because of the shorter distance between the sights. Typically, handgun sights consist of a square rear notch sight and a heavy square front blade sight. However, your eyes cannot focus on the target, front sight, and rear sight all at once. Therefore, your focus should be on the front sight only.

Most handguns are initially sighted-in at 50 feet.

Aiming

At the shooting range, many handgunners use a sight picture that places the bull’s-eye on the top of the front sight, rather than placing it in the sights over the center of the target. However, hunters should hold the alignment directly over the vital area.

Scopes with long eye relief have become popular with handgunners and offer exact sighting for hunters. Scopes may take longer to align on a target than open sights, but they’re usually more accurate.